Film I Have to Praise You Like I should
SO GET THIS, another of our classic hyper-masculine manly man movies for men has been RUINED by having a woman main character, who - GET THIS - is occasionally good at things!
Prey came on my radar, like a lot of movies these days, due to the disproportionate amount of whining it generates on the internet from people who have to complain every time they see a woman or person of colour on their tv screen. If I had any business nous, I would start a youtube movie review show to capitalise off of all the internet geeks who reflexively hate any kind of diversity. It turns out they like nothing better than spending hour after hour of having their own hateful opinions fed back to them.
Prey is a movie that asks what would happen if a Predator alien landed in 18th Century America. The answer comes within a refreshingly tight 90 minutes, and involves a lot of dismembered wildlife and Comanches. Our protagonist, the one causing so much ire, is Naru, a Comanche woman who wants to prove to her tribe she can roughhouse as well as any of the lads. Meanwhile, those around her, including the Predator, think she's a bit of a pushover as they battle each other to the death.
After a somewhat slow start the movie picks up momentum, gaining a tight focus on Naru's fight for survival. The Predator is never far from her, looking for bigger and bigger trophies amongst the local fauna. Those looking for a more grounded and realistic movie aren't going to get it here. Prey never reaches the absurd gloriousness of Schwarzenegger's commandos, blasting away a whole jungle with grenades and machine guns, but Prey has plenty of its own moments of crowd-pleaser Hollywood violence. The Commanche tribesmen and woman are no slouches, and get plenty of cinematic battle moments as they and the Predator take turns outsmarting each other with spears and arrows. The film is also suitably gory and cruel for a Predator entry too. We are treated to the sight of a Predator turning into some kind of blood ghost after his invisibility suit ends up drenched in human offal.
Prey is not a sophisticated film, and nor does it reach the zenith of modern action movie spectacles. But it is well made, it understands its purpose as a Predator movie, and it makes a welcome change. Most of all, it recognises that a reboot/sequel need not be this bloated, self-important spectacle that goes on for two and a half hours; it is content being what it should be, which in a word, is fun.
Film Prey honors and reimagines the Predator franchise
My biggest pleasant surprise of 2022, streaming media-wise, has been Dan Trachtenberg's Prey.
I had low expectations. I was hoping for something tolerable and entertaining like Predators, and not a cringeworthy exploitation such as The Predator or AVP Requiem.
This film far exceeds being a tolerable sequel. It is a classic of the action horror genre, and would be seen as such on its own were there no previous Predator franchise.
There are certainly contrived coincidences aplenty, obvious and almost anvilicious points of modern applicability to feminism and colonialism and ecology, and some plot armor for the protagonist and copious amounts for the Predator antagonist.
Against these things which can take one out of the movie stands the sympathetic The Hero's Journey of Naru, a young Comanche healer and aspiring hunter. Her tale is told in a economical fashion as we see her practicing, and initially repeatedly failing, her fighting and hunting skills.
As with Ms Marvel, the fantastical elements in Prey are rooted in the tale of a loving, though imperfect family. That context is lacking for all previous Predator characters, who tend to be very much cutout cardboard character tropes of the tough guy, the operator, the yakuza, the streetwise New York cop, the sniper, and so on.
Far above expectations are the world-building, characterizations, and majestic drone panoramas. Coco the Dog as Sarii is another emotional touchpoint. The creature design and weapons are awesome and well-thought-out. The fight scenes are tense and well-structured, not perfect, but more than good enough for an intended direct to streaming horror thriller.
The movie is carried by the wide-eyed performance by Amber Midthunder as Naru. She has those wide silent movie star eyes which she puts to good use, offset by her character's black face markings.
A fun little efficient movie which doesn't try to be too much more than it needs to be. A great, scary, and smart, creature feature.
4/5 stars.